Undelivered
by screamsevi
Summary: Oneshot. They were firmly living together as a pair of significant others. Secretly, of course. Merlin knows the heads of the wizarding world would roll if they knew about this taboo relationship.


_Undelivered_

Two years after the defeat of Lord Voldemort, Hermione Granger was living in a two bedroom flat with Severus Snape. Don't worry; you're not alone in your confusion. No one was more surprised by Gryffindor's resident bookworm shacking up with the snarky bat of the dungeons than Hermione and Severus themselves. Hell, truth be told, they were both still a little surprised that Severus was alive at all. If it hadn't been for the quick thinking of the St. Mungo's healers who tended to the dead and wounded during the Final Battle of Hogwarts, he wouldn't be.

They'd initially moved in together because they deemed it practical. Severus needed someone to help care for him, and Hermione was in training to be a healer. By the time November of 1999 rolled around, though, they'd dropped any pretenses of there being no attraction between the two of them, and they were firmly living together as a pair of significant others. Secretly, of course. God knows the heads of the wizarding world would roll if they knew about this taboo relationship.

Just because they kept their romance hidden from the sights of others, though, didn't mean that the pair of lovers kept mostly to themselves...

"Hermione!" Severus called in the direction of the bathroom. "Hermione!"

The brunette stuck her head out from the shower, her toothbrush in hand. "What?"

Severus rolled his eyes at her multitasking as he stepped into the bathroom, his black hair tied into a low ponytail at the nape of his neck. "Must you rush about every morning?"

"I have reports to turn in by noon, Severus," Hermione said as she allowed the shower curtain to fall away from her hand, hiding her once more. "St. Mungo's needs record of the venom elixirs we're developing."

"Take the day off," Severus said from between his teeth.

"No," he heard her say firmly. With a slight squeak, the water was off. "Hand me a towel."

He did no such thing. Instead, Severus ripped the curtain open with one hand and growled once more, "Take the day off."

Hermione slid her hands onto her hips, giving no mind to the fact that he could see her sleek, naked form. She watched as his eyes roved over her breasts, and she fought the urge to smile at his salacious gaze. "No. Now hand me a towel, would you? I'm wet, and the air is getting awfully frigid."

"You don't need a towel."

She cocked her head to the side. "No?"

He wrapped his arms around her wet body, gently lifting her straight out of the shower so that she was pressed tight against his form. With a slight flick of his tongue over hers, he felt her shudder into his arms. He smirked. "I find it unnecessary."

* * *

As Hermione dressed in a tight black pantsuit and matching robes nearly an hour later, she couldn't help but scowl at her lover. "I'm late now."

"So?" the still naked Severus said from his spot on the bed. He waved a hand dismissively. "It's not as though anyone is aware of the reason behind your tardiness."

"Thank Merlin for that," Hermione said with a roll of her eyes as she rearranged her hair into a neat bun with the flick of her wrist. "They'd have heart attacks. Never talk to us again."

"Oh, the pity," Severus said. He reached over to kiss her wrist. "You'll be home on time tonight?"

"As always," she said, drawing her hand up to cup his face. "Be good."

"Am I ever anything but?"

"Let me know if you make any more progress with the elixir," she continued as she reached for her emerald green cloak. Severus had given it to her for Christmas the previous year. "I really think it will be ready for testing soon."

"Whatever you say, Hermione," Severus said as he laid back lazily into the sheets. He had always been more of an evening person, anyway. "Whatever you say."

* * *

Her reports were delivered without incident and, before long, Hermione Granger was sitting at the oak desk in her office, taking her lunch break. It was perhaps her favorite time of the day, the time when she could lean back in her chair, drink her tea, and write a letter to her mother and father.

Oh, she never sent these letters. How could she when she didn't know where her parents were? But she wrote them anyway, hoping that maybe - one day - she might find them and be able to share every detail about her life. For the few months that she'd been doing this, she'd written about absolutely everything. She wrote about the war and the aftermath. She described her job and her friends. She detailed her new flat and the elixirs she was working on. Mostly, though, she wrote about Severus.

_This is the third morning in a row he's stopped me on my way to work,_ she wrote. _ Really, I think he's getting a little attached. It's nice, to be sure, but it's also a little... scary? I'm falling in love with him, but I dare not say it. Once I do... what then? Do we tell other people? Get married? Move off? Everything will change... and that's assuming that Severus even loves me back._

She paused, unsure of what to say next. Maybe nothing was best. Yes, she could end it there. She needed to get back to work, anyhow. After all, it wasn't as though she could send the letter.

* * *

"I brought chocolate mousse," Hermione said as she stepped through the front door of her flat. She held up a cloth grocery back as Severus stepped forward to greet her. "I picked some up from Prucel's-" She was cut off as Severus's lips fused to her own, gently claiming her soft pink flesh as his.

"Thank you," he said softly as he pulled away. He took the bag from her, leaving her a little stunned and frozen by the doorway.

"Uh... thank you," she repeated as she followed after him. "Right. How was your day?"

"Dull," he said, flashing her a smile. "And yours?"

"Uneventful," she responded without much thought. He looked so happy, so unlike the Severus that she and her classmates had grown up with. And - unless she was mistaken - most of that happiness was directed towards her. How was _that _for a strange daily occurrence? "Shall we start dinner?"

"I thought I'd cook tonight," Severus said as he poured her a glass of red wine. "I was going to try my hand at a veal and parmesan ravioli with a white wine cream sauce."

Hermione blinked. "That's ambitious."

He scoffed. "Hardly. If I can brew the Wolfsbane potion, I can cook this comparatively simple dish."

She rolled her eyes at his snark, but pressed on anyway. "I don't doubt you, Severus, but really. Let me help-"

He interrupted. "Sit down. Honestly. Let me cook while you tell me about your day."

"Oh. Sure," Hermione said. She sat down at a barstool in their kitchen as she watched Severus begin to dice chives. She couldn't help but smile as she thought, _either he's been Imperio'd, or perhaps he really does love me after all._


End file.
